Establishment of the IAF Select Sub-Committee on Satellite Commercial Applications and the Opening of the Committee’s Asian Pacific Office in Hongkong

The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and the Chinese Society of Astronautics (CSA) met to officially establish the IAF Select Sub-Committee on Satellite Commercial Applications and the Opening of the Sub-Committee’s Asian Pacific Office in Hongkong, on June 29, 2017. Over 100 representatives from the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hongkong S.A.R, China Association of Science and Technology (CAST), China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), China Astronauts Research and Training Center, universities and businesses in Hongkong were invited to attend the event.

Mr. WANG Yiran, CSA Vice President and Secretary General, moderated the event. Mr. XU Yanhao, CAST Executive Secretary, Mr. ZHANG Jianheng, CASC Vice President, Dr. Christian Feichtinger, IAF Executive Director, Dr. Otto Koudelka, IAF Vice President, and Dr. John Horack, special adviser of the IAF President and co-chair of the Sub-Committee, delivered speeches. Mr. XU Yanhao, Executive Secretary of CAST, pointed out that the cooperation between IAF and CSA has promoted China’s space professionals’ communication and exchanges with the world, prospered the academic atmosphere and pushed forward the development of space science and technology. CAST will continue to support rigorously CSA and IAF to carry out widespread exchanges and cooperation at multilevel and with manifold channels to make space technology benefit mankind.

Mr. ZHANG Jianheng, the Vice President of CASC, outlined how CASC is active at supporting and promoting the international exchange and cooperation. CSAC has supported the experts from its subsidiary academies and institutes to be member of the Sub-Committee. They will work together with scholars, experts and entrepreneurs from all over the world to study and research the major issues of satellite commercial applications, promote academic exchanges and international cooperation, and push forward the standardized development of satellite commercial applications. CSAC is willing to exchange and cooperate with world space companies within the IAF to share the results of space technology for the purpose of serving people better.

Dr. Christian Feichtinger, IAF Executive Director, explained the history of the IAF, its activities, the strategic partnership between IAF and CSA, and IAF’s long term and good cooperation with China’s space community built through CSA.

Dr. Otto Koudelka, IAF Vice President, and Dr. John Horack, special adviser of the IAF President and co-chair of the Committee, emphasized the importance of establishing the Sub-Committee and opening of its Asian Pacific office from the point view of the technology development of satellite commercial application and global space cooperation.

Mr. XU Yanhao, Executive Secretary of CAST, and Dr. Christian Feichtinger, Executive Director of IAF, unveiled the establishment of the Committee. Mr. TAN Tieniu, the deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hongkong S.A.R, Mr. YU Dengyun, Vice Director of Scientific and Technological Committee of CAST and IAF Vice President, co-chairs of the Committee, and Mr. John Horack, special adviser of IAF president and co-chair of the Sub-Committee presented the plaque of Asian Pacific office to the local staff.

IAF supported and approved CSA’s initiative of establishing IAF Select Sub-Committee on Satellite Commercial Applications in September 2016. After nearly 10 months of preparation, IAF and CSA jointly held the meeting of Official Establishment of the Committee and the Opening of the Sub-Committee’s Asian Pacific Office in Hongkong. The Sub-Committee is aimed to promote the international cooperation of satellite commercial applications, and push forward the development of global satellite commercial applications. The setting up of the Asia Pacific office in Hongkong is a joint effort of IAF and CSA to promote the regional integration of academy, application and commercialization.